Lies in Deceptive Shadows

[skyacezero]

"Okay, we'll need all the help we can get," Darryl said as he followed Kaori. "By the way how exactly are we getting there?"

"You want to know? Look out that window...." the voice said. What Keera saw was absolutely horrifying. Pits of flame and brimstone, demonic hands clwing up from every crevice, scorched figures that wandered aimlessly, some being scooped up and devoured by a large lumbering beast, only to spew ou several wraits, one of which flew right by the window. In the middle of it all, was a collossal gargoyle-like monster that reached into the black sky and pulled a very large fistful of screaming people down. "FALLEN SOULS....." it bellowed. "I AM CHERNOBOG....YOUR RULER AND MASTER....." it's voice was the same that the master had when he first appeared in Keera's nightmares. "You see, Keera," the voice said. "You're not just in any ordinary realm...you're in hell," it finished.

[Amara<3]

"Good, we have a mini army waiting for Keera's orders. They'll listen to me if it means they can help though. There's only eleven of them, or ten... I'm still unsure about how to decide about the one that seems to change as the day does. She's a weird one." She walked into the bushes and they came to a small clearing. "Keera made this rift a long time ago, and the gods kept it open for her and myself to come through when we need to or want. I can bring people across it, back and forth, as long as they aren't crossing to make not so needed chaos. Otherwise they cross it as if it weren't there." She held out her hand. "Come, it might take a little while to find them all."

Keera turned her face to the window, and her eyes widened in shock, horror. Any normal person would have been absolutely terrified, for the fact that they were in hell, but she had a different reason. All colour she had drained from her face, and her headache seemed to amplify by about a thousand. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had to get out of here. She wasn't so afraid of the hell part, but now that she was back in her old body, the issue she had with fire returned. She looked as if she were about to vomit, and she looked away upon hearing the voice. How did she think that Lilith was taking her to some other realm, that she wasn't going to be hurt, wasn't going to hurt anyone she loved. She knew that was a lie now, and there was nothing she could do about it until Lilith let her back up. She heard a high pitched scream coming from the library, and realized it had been from her own mouth. It was drowned out and terrified, as if she was in the fire already, as if she were burning and dying. Her hands were grabbing her head, her eyes closed tight, pretending that nothing she saw out there was real.

[skyacezero]

"Then we'd better get started," Darryl said as he took Kaori's hand. "Anything I should know beforehand?" he asked.

"Oh? What's this? I never thought I would hear you scream, Keera..." the voice said. There was a light touch on Keera's shoulder. "Are you okay?" it was Barbatos' voice. "You were screaming. And talking to yourself," he said.

[Amara<3]

"Of course," Kaori said and smiled at him. "Well, Japan now has no resemblance to the time that we're going to. Other than the mountain of course, you'll recognize that. The air is much less polluted as well." She walked him through the rift, and what he saw was glorious, luscious forestry.

"Keera, I've been- oh. It's just you Kaori," a woman dressed in all the colours of the ocean said with a smile. "Where's your sister?"

"Found one," Kaori whispered to Darryl with a little laugh. Then she got serious. "We need your help. Keera's in trouble. Help us find everyone."

"No problem, we're all within a few miles of each other. We'll find everyone in an or so. How big of trouble?" the woman asked, her dark eyes showing concern.

"She told me not to find any of you, or bring you with me back to the future, but she can't get out of this alone like she's always done. That much trouble. She'd sooner die than ask for your help, and that's exactly what will happen. Oh, this is my new found friend Darryl. I'm fairly sure he knows a lot more about what we're up against than even Keera does." She glanced at Darryl. "This is Itsumo," she said and the woman bowed.

"Lovely to meet you."


Keera fought the urge to scream again, but not in terror this time. She wanted that voice to go away. She froze as she felt the touch on her shoulder, and listened as a different voice asked if she was alright. She hadn't been talking to herself... was she? Was she alright? Yes, she was fine, how was this situation different than any of others? She wasn't being caused physical pain yet, and her powers weren't taken away, they were amplified. Why was she freaking out?

She turned, releasing her hair and letting her hands fall to her sides. She looked at Barbatos, her head ache still pounding. "No," she said quietly, even to her standards. She took a deep breath. "Not at all." She closed her eyes for a moment, ignoring the red from the window behind Barbatos. "And I wasn't talking to myself."

[skyacezero]

Darryl bowed back. "Same here," he said. "If you're going to help there are several things you need to know about the enemy," he started. "For starters, they're calld the Seven Demon Lords. They were comprised of Maltheus, Lilith, Belphegor, Lucifer, Barbatos, Leviathan, and Beelzebub. Necrolon and I already killed Leviathan and Beelzebub, and they replaced one of them with Mephistopheles and he's dead, too," Darryl started.

"If you say so," Barbatos said as he turned around. "I thought I heard you say something about never thinking that you'd hear yourself scream...." he said quietly. 'So you truely want to know who I am? Go to your room and look in the mirror,' the voice said.

[Amara<3]

"THE Lucifer?" Itsumo asked, intrigued. Kaori rolled her eyes. "Itsumo, focus, please." She smiled and shrugged. "Go on."

"Actually I think that maybe we should find the rest, so he doesn't have to keep retelling the information. It's not like he's going to forget it, Itsumo." Kaori added the last part as Itsumo frowned, but soon nodded. "How far away the closest two?"

"Umm... Izuki is in the closest village, and Nikko is sun bathing in the meadow, on the rock in the meadow last time I checked."

"Which means we won't find Atokata."

"You should get Izuki, if I tell her, she won't come. I'm sure you know that," Itsumo said and Kaori nodded. "See you soon. We'll meet up along the way again and move as a group." Itsumo bowed to Kaori and Darryl before walking down one part of the path, and Kaori started down the other way, after letting go of Darryl's hand, having forgotten she was holding it.


"Someone else said that," Keera said and looked at Barbatos. She hadn't actually said it. Keera looked at the window again, but not outside. She looked at the window pane, glared at it, and threw her hand up, shooting water out that instantly froze upon contact. She spun the moment it was covered and as it melted away from the heat that hit the window, she ran out of the library and into the hall.

She walked into her room, just as ill-decorated as the halls, and glimpsed the mirror right away. She didn't want to know. Mirrors are made to reflect, and all she'd see would be herself. She knew that, and she didn't want to look. She closed her door and leaned against it. Seeing Lilith in this state would only make her laugh, and probably say something along the lines of "Guess what, you're caught and there's no getting out."

Ice started lining the trim around the room, covered the door frame, creeped outwards from Keera in every direction, soon covering over half the floor and walls and still spreading. She sat down beside the door and as she did, she heard a knock, but didn't answer. Ice started building up between the door and it's frame.

[skyacezero]

"So I'm guessing we're gonna find Izuki first, right?" Darryl said. "Just to be sure though, isn't there something you can use to signal them or something?"

"It's come to my attention that you've seen where you are.....and seen me for what I truely am...." Maltheus' voice seemed to seep through the door. "It also appears that you've been conversing with a certain someone who's quite attatched to you,"

[Amara<3]

"Yes, Izuki is the third in command, but only listens to Keera and myself. I'm not really in command at all, unless Keera happens to be in trouble. Like right now." Kaori said and sighed. "Michi is second, though she's rarely seen. She's a lot like Keera in more ways than just that too. Keera hadn't even known she existed until a few months ago." They were almost at the village, and a clearing was up ahead, but it seemed to be a drop off. "Unfortunately, only Keera can call everyone together. Remember her voice in the forest before her controlled showed up? That's how she does it. I have no idea how, so I have to work a different way." The got to the drop off, and it was indeed that; a very steep slope. She smiled at Darryl. "Coming?" she asked and took a leap outward, aiming to land both feet on the straight ground.


Keera listened, but didn't respond. The ice abruptly stopped covering the door, but continued going over the rest of the room, minus the bed. It even started covering the mirror. She hadn't wanted it anyway. Soon enough, the room was both looking and feeling like an ice box. "What do you want?" she finally asked, amazing herself that she'd been so calm in asking. Her fit was over, and she felt better. She got up in one fluid motion, walking swiftly to the middle of the room. She pivoted on her heel, and faced the door. For all she knew, he was going to blast it down with fire. She wouldn't put it past any of them. She had to think straight, and get focused. She was in her happy place, and no one better screw it up. Well, as happy as she could make it.

[skyacezero]

"Sure thing," Darryl said and followed suit. He landed on both feet, though his knees bent from the impact. "Other than this mini army you have, are there any other allies that you have?"

"I hust thought you should know that Kaori's vanished," Maltheus said. "A stalker lost her and the boy's trail and a spatial rift, one that's temporal in nature," He finished. He floated away, but stopped to tell Keera: "By the way, the rooms here are white rooms, whatever you want it be, it will become,"

[Amara<3]

"Ha, most of Japan, actually. We have a lot of other special help in many areas of this Japan, but it would take innumerable days to find all the ones that could help at any good level." Kaori said as she walked into the village. It seemed rather large, but Kaori seemed to know where to go. She walking into the inn that was there, and got directions to Izuki's room. She walked over to the door and knocked on it. "I'm coming in, Izuki."

"As you wish," came a calm, cool voice. Kaori opened the door to a dark room, and a woman in a red semi0short dress lying on the bed. "Hello Kaori, to what do I owe this visit?"

"We're going on a trip," Kaori said and Izuki shook her head. "You travel during the day, it's not that big of a deal. Even I know that. You said you would back Keera up, so now's the time to prove it." She seemed to sit up at the mention of Keera's name. "What's happened to her?"

"Uhm, she's sort of... well she's in trouble and needs out. We're collecting the entire group." Kaori said and Izuki sighed. Izuki got up, picked up a black cloak with red lining, and draped it ove herself. "Who would you like me to find?" she asked and Kaori shrugged. "Well I was thinking that once we find someone, we stay together and find the rest together." Izuki nodded and they all walked out together. Once Izuki was out in the hall, she turned to look at Darryl, then Kaori. Kaori smiled, "This is Darryl, he's our... source of information, I guess. Darryl, this is Izuki." Izuki nodded as her bow, and said nothing.


"Vanished?" Keera asked herself, wondering what may have happened. Then when Maltheus mentioned a spatial rift, Keera knew where they'd gone. "Good to know," she said. "On both accounts of information, especially about the room." She looked around, but she was fine with it already. No mirror that functioned properly, life was grand. "Now," Keera whispered, also thinking it to herself. "Little voice in my head, what exactly is the reason you insist on trying to drive me crazy?"

[skyacezero]

"Nice to meet you, too," Darryl said. "Not only am I a source of information for what we're up against, I'm also the best chance you have against them," he said. "I'll give the details once we've found everyone,"

"Well Keera, if you don't want to find out the fun way, I might as well spell it out for you," the voice said. "For starters, you may call me Lamia," the voice identified itself. "As to why, because your mind and body are just as much mine as they are yours. Confused?" Lamia said. "Then I might as well tell you, I'm not just a voice, I am you," Lamia said.

[Amara<3]

"I'll remember that," Izuki said and a fanged smile spread across her face as she backed out the door of the Inn. "Who are we finding next?"

"I was thinking Kaminari," Kaori suggested and Izuki nodded, thinking. "Then Michi, if we don't run into Nikko and Itsumo first. After that, we have Sora, Owari and Akui."

"What, is Atokata not invited on this trip?"

"Well I thought that Nikko and Atokata were the same person..." Kaori said, blushing. Izuki laughed as a gust swept through the village, almost blowing her hood down. She grabbed with uncovered hands and they started smoking. She quickly drew them back into the cloak and cursed.


"There was no spelling in that at all," Keera said as she lay on the bed. "Well Lamia, if you are indeed me, you better shut up because you're in for a pretty rough ride. You all picked the wrong demonic angel to mess with." Truth was, she was handful of other things that no one knew about yet. She'd never shown anyone, not even her sensei, about her other powers. However, if Lilith was true to her word, and knew everything about her, then Lilith would know what these hidden things were... unless they only knew about what she'd done in the future. If that were the case, they had a lot of surprises ahead of them.

[skyacezero]

"Hey, u, Kaori?" Darryl said. "If they used you to get a hold of Keera, how did they get a hold of you to begin with?" Darryl noticed Izuki's hands smoke. "Are you alright?" he asked Izuki.

"Always a sarcastic half-wit," Lamia said. "Try to harm me and you'll only end up harming yourself. You see, when you accepted that insignia, it, in a sense, 'fractured' your soul. And from that fracture is where I began to spawn. You see, with the exception of Maltheus and Belphegor, Demon Lords hae no physical presence and require host bodies. Eventually, we grow strong enough to completely replace our host body's conciousness," Lamia explained. "Sadly for me, the only thing keeping me at bay is your need to protect your baby sister, but if something were to happen to her..."

[Amara<3]

"Um, well, I wasn't staying in this time. I was in the future with my sister. She went to work one day, and I was taking a short cut to my work when they grabbed me," she explained. "They hadn't really done anything other than keep me with them until they saw Keera and made her join or they'd kill me."

Izuki smiled under her hood. "I'm great. Just allergic to the sun in a big way." She kept her back to the sun as they all walked, first through a meadow, and then around a lake. Kaori spun once and the water stirred slightly in the middle. There was no wind now, so it was assumed that Kaori was doing it. "So Kaori, the next closest person to us is Sora, I think. I'm fairly sure she's not far from here."

"Not far at all." A voice came from up in a tree and a soft, gentle giggle floated down to them. "What's the search for?" she asked as she floated down to the ground. "Is there going to be a party?"

"Oh carefree as ever," Izuki said, annoyed. "Can't you ever be serious?"

"Well no one exactly called it a serious meeting already, did they?" Sora asked and shook her head at Izuki's scowl. She turned to Darryl and smiled at him. "I'm Sora, what's your name?"


"I won't have to hurt us, believe me. So when you take over my body, what will my new name be? Will it stay the same, or will it be Lamia? I don't really like your name." Keera asked and smiled again. She couldn't help but be a smart alec. It was in her nature when she knew she couldn't fight physically, that she'd do her best annoy the hell out of the person. Keera's smile faltered, but only a little. "Good luck, Lamia. That's all I have to say to you and everyone else here. Good freaking luck." She threw herself up off the bed and the ice on the door shattered before got to it. She opened the door and walked out, and down the hall.

[skyacezero]

"Hi, I'm Darryl," Darryl said. Darryl looked as if he had seen a lake for the first time, in fact, he WAS seeing a lke for the first time. "Wow, this is beautiful," he said. "Where I'm from the closest thing we had to a lake was a landfill,"

"If I do take your body, get used to being called by my name," Lamia said.